Hasil untuk "Trade associations"

Amina Azaiez, Antoine Mandel

Abstract We use transparency data published by the European Commission (EC) to perform a quantitative analysis of the structure and dynamics of stakeholder consultation in the EU policy-making process. We analyze the data through the prism of network theory by constructing a hypergraph whose nodes are EC officials and stakeholders, and hyperedges connect entities that participate in the same meetings. Our analysis highlights the presence of a hierarchical core-periphery structure, with a few well-connected entities that occupy the center of the network and enjoy a stable integration in the EC policy-making process. Examination of the core composition reveals that companies and trade associations maintain closer relationships with the EC. A regression analysis shows that lobbying efforts and company size are significant predictors of company centrality, independent of other objective characteristics. Our findings provide quantitative evidence supporting the perception of lobbying as a tool dominated by well-connected actors, while also revealing heterogeneous lobbying strategies across stakeholder groups.

Tae-Young Pak

Abstract Background Cancer patients face a costly trade-off between medical care and basic necessities including food. This study aims to explore whether catastrophic health expenditures lead to food insecurity among older cancer survivors in the US. Methods Longitudinal study of individuals aged 50 or older who were diagnosed with cancer during 2000–2020 and their follow-up measurements selected from the Health and Retirement Study. Data consists of 2505 cancer survivors and 11,614 person-year observations for an average of 4.6 observations per participant. Catastrophic health expenditures were defined as out-of-pocket costs exceeding 5%, 10%, or 15% of household income. Participants were classified as food insecure if they experienced insufficient access to food due to financial limitations. This study utilized fixed effects ordered logistic regression to implement a within-subject research design. Results Of the 2505 cancer survivors, 77 (3.1%) were moderately food insecure and 73 (2.9%) were severely food insecure. In ordered logistic regression, all three measures of catastrophic health expenses were associated with a higher odds of food insecurity. These associations were more pronounced for males, ethnic minorities, survivors without college education, those in fair or poor health, retirees, and survivors with below-median income. Conclusions The prevalence of food insecurity among older cancer survivors was relatively low, with 6% of the sample experiencing food insecurity. Multivariate regression analyses revealed that a major predictor of food insecurity among older cancer survivors is catastrophic health costs. Given the health benefits of secure food access, older cancer survivors should consult care providers about their financial capacity to afford recommended cancer treatments while maintaining healthy diets. Policymakers should also consider interventions to reduce out-of-pocket financial burden on older cancer survivors, as improved financial security may enhance treatment outcomes and lower cancer-related mortality.

Mikala E. Jakobsen, Asta Kjærgaard, Emilie M. Rudolf et al.

Background: Risks in the psychosocial and ergonomic working environment can be complex and difficult for labor inspectors to uncover. In 2020, authorities implemented a dialog-based inspection practice in order to improve the working environment in all types of Danish enterprises. Methods: The study sample consisted of 3183 enterprises and stemmed from a quasi-experiment, Agreement To Problem-solve (ATP), implemented nation-wide by Danish authorities. Enterprises that were offered an ATP could accept this voluntary agreement if the labor inspectors suspected a complex health and safety problem, especially problems in the psychosocial or ergonomic working environment. We used univariate and multivariate logistic regression models to investigate associations between enterprise characteristics and fulfillment of the ATP. Results: In total, 2335 enterprises fulfilled an ATP from 2020 to 2023. Compared to Public administration, education and health care, the industries Industrial, raw materials and supply and Trade, transportation etc. had significantly lower odds ratios (ORs) of fulfilling the agreement [OR: 0.70, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.53; 0.92 and OR: 0.6, 95% CI: 0.46; 0.80, respectively]. Enterprises with more than 35 employees had a significantly higher probability of fulfilling the agreement than enterprises with 1–9 employees. The OR of fulfillment regarding ergonomics was 0.75 times that of the psychosocial (95% CI: 0.58; 0.98). Conclusion: This dialog-based inspection practice showed promising results in regards to addressing and terminating suspicions regarding the psychosocial and ergonomic working environment. The enterprises' industry, number of employees, and type of occupation safety and health problem were associated with fulfillment of this dialog-based inspection practice.

Sebastián Ortiz-Mallegas, Claudia Carrasco-Aguilar, Antonio Luzón-Trujillo et al.

Teacher associations have historically been important agents of teacher advocacy. However, they are now facing challenges due to the crisis of traditional structures. This has allowed the emergence of new teacher associations that seek other forms of participation in educational governance. Via a comparative qualitative analysis of education between Chile and Spain, this study examined the repercussions of associationism in two forms of regulating teacher participation in educational governance: regulated and de facto. The results show how in Chile, a new social force has been created to overcome the political ineffectiveness of associations, whereas in Spain, independence from political parties has been sought through the technification of trade unionism. These findings highlight critical differences in the political strategies of teacher associations in both countries, with implications for the future of educational governance. The study also discusses the broader consequences of associationism in the context of labor market shifts and the changing landscape of teaching professionals.

Cody J. Malone, Kimberlee Beckmen, Raphaela Stimmelmayr et al.

Abstract Background Members of the genus Trichinella are muscle-dwelling zoonotic parasites of global importance for public health, animal husbandry, and trade. Trichinella chanchalensis (T13) is the newest species in the genus, first described in the Yukon and the Northwest Territories, for which the geographical distribution remains unknown due to limitations of the gold standard test for genotyping (multiplex polymerase chain reaction [PCR]). Our primary objective was to determine whether T. chanchalensis was present in Alaska, using a new molecular method that enables the description of the prevalence, co-infection, host associations, and risk factors for Trichinella spp. infection in wild carnivores. Methods Trichinella spp. larvae were recovered through artificial digestion of muscle and genotyped using next-generation sequencing (NGS). Results Trichinella spp. larvae were detected in 53/157 (34%) animals, namely wolverines (Gulo gulo), arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus), red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), coyotes (Canis latrans), wolves (Canis lupus), brown bears (Ursus arctos), and polar bears (Ursus maritimus), but not in black bears (Ursus americanus) or lynx (Lynx canadensis). Prevalence was highest in polar bears and wolverines, while intensity (larvae per gram, LPG) was highest in red foxes, arctic foxes, and wolves. Most animals (65%) harbored single infections with Trichinella nativa, followed by mixed infections of T. nativa and Trichinella T6 (33%). A single wolverine was infected with T. nativa, T6, and T. chanchalensis. Combining NGS with statistical methods, we found no evidence of competition between T. nativa and T6 in host muscles. Trichinella spp. infection (primarily T. nativa) was the highest in the Northwestern region, whereas T6 infection probability was higher in the Interior and Southern regions, suggesting differences in environmental resistance even among these three taxa. In a single, highly infected brown bear, we detected a rare case of Trichinella spiralis of foreign origin based on whole-genome sequencing, suggesting illegal importation and disposal of meat. Conclusions We report a new geographical record for T. chanchalensis and a rare finding of T. spiralis in North American wildlife, and demonstrate the utility of new NGS methods for describing the ecology of parasites maintained in wildlife hosts commonly presenting as co-infections. Graphical Abstract

Aura Andrea Díaz-Duarte, Gabriel Purón-Cid, Marco Eliseo Rivera-Martínez

This research analyzes the relationship between intrapreneurship culture, management collaboration networks, and information and communication technologies on innovation performance, as well as their direct and indirect effects on business performance and competitiveness. Using data from MSMEs in Mexico's trade sector, the study tests fifteen hypotheses across three models, each examining the impact of a causal variable on innovation performance through a quantitative analysis using structural equation modeling. The results indicate significant associations between these factors and highlight the role of innovation in enhancing business outcomes. Additionally, the study considers the profound effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has exacerbated existing vulnerabilities in Latin American and Caribbean economies, affecting key sectors such as commerce, tourism, and transportation. The conclusions emphasize the varying impact of direct and indirect effects of causal variables (intrapreneurship culture, management collaboration networks, and information and communication technologies) on the mediator variable (innovation performance) and outcome variables (business performance and competitiveness). Across all models, a positive and significant relationship is confirmed between innovation performance and both business performance and competitiveness. However, a stronger association is found between the causal variables and business performance and competitiveness. Based on these findings, the study proposes strategic recommendations for businesses aiming to enhance their performance and competitiveness in dynamic environments.

Junaid ur Rehman

We consider an example scenario where we require several copies of a pure quantum state $|ψ\rangle$ for some quantum information processing task. Due to practical limitations, we only have access to $N = 10^3$ depolarized copies of $|ψ\rangle$ such that the fidelity $F$ of each copy with $|ψ\rangle$ is $0.75$. We denote this quantum asset with the ensemble $\mathcal{A}: (10^3, 0.75)_{|ψ\rangle}$. A genie appears and offers to trade $\mathcal{A}$ with either $\mathcal{B}: (10^4, 0.65)_{|ψ\rangle}$ or with $\mathcal{C}: (10^2, 0.90)_{|ψ\rangle}$. Should we accept the trade with either of these two ensembles? In this article, we attempt to answer this question with arbitrary $N$ and $F$. More specifically, we derive resource equivalence curves from quantum resource theory of purity, quantum state distinguishability, quantum state purification, and quantum state tomography. These curves enable ranking of these ensembles according to their operational usefulness for these tasks and allow us to answer the question of trading the aforementioned ensembles.

Hanqin Chen, Ye Lu, Huaqin Huang

Trade policy uncertainty has become a significant feature of today's global economy. While its impact on free trade is evident, its microeconomic effects remain open to debate. This study explores the influence of trade policy uncertainty on corporate ESG performance and its underlying mechanisms, using data from A-share listed companies in China from 2010 to 2020. The findings reveal that increased trade policy uncertainty significantly and robustly enhances corporate ESG performance. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that high-tech enterprises are better equipped to improve their ESG performance in response to trade policy uncertainty. Furthermore, strengthening internal controls and appointing CEOs with environmental backgrounds also help firms seize the opportunities arising from trade policy uncertainty. In terms of mechanisms, trade policy uncertainty intensifies industry competition, compelling firms to enhance their ESG performance to gain market share. Additionally, it stimulates green technological innovation, further optimizing ESG outcomes. Therefore, efforts should focus on improving the ESG standards system, establishing ESG incentive policies, increasing the transparency and predictability of trade policies, and promoting corporate green development to advance national sustainable development goals.

Tomoo Kikuchi, Lien Pham

We develop a model where currency issuers provide liquidity, while users in a trade network choose currency usage for trade settlement. We identify a feedback mechanism where a user's currency preference spillovers to others and increases the issuer's commitment to liquidity provision, which in turn increases the adoption of the currency. Our findings highlight not only the advantage of the incumbent issuer in maintaining dominance, but also the conditions that lead to the rise and fall of dominant currencies. Our framework offers testable implications for the share of global settlement currencies, the network structure, and the strategy of issuers.

Jun Cui

This study investigates the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) technology on cross-border trade using a qualitative content analysis approach. By synthesizing existing empirical studies, we aim to quantify the overall effect of AI on trade flows and identify the key moderating and mediating variables. Besides, our results show that AI adoption significantly increases trade volumes in Southeast Asia. Likewise, these effects are stronger in regions with advanced technological infrastructure and favorable regulatory frameworks. In addition, Trade firm size partially mediates the relationship between AI technology and trade performance. Furthermore, this study draws on several key theoretical frameworks that provide a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms through which AI technology is affecting cross-border trade in Southeast Asia. The primary theories used in this research include the technology, organization, and environment (TOE) framework, the diffuse innovation (DOI) theory, Dynamic Capabilities Theory, Comparative Advantage Theory, Network theory, Transaction Cost Economics (TCE), the resource-based view, and the institution theory. Consequently, this study contributes to the existing literature by providing a comprehensive analysis of the role of AI in international trade and highlighting the importance of contextual factors in maximizing the benefits of AI. Thus, our findings underscore the need for favorable policies and robust infrastructure to facilitate AI-driven trade growth. A discussion of limitations and future research directions will also be part of the report in Southeast Asia Trade.

Yuan Deng, Jieming Mao, Balasubramanian Sivan et al.

We study the social efficiency of bilateral trade between a seller and a buyer. In the classical Bayesian setting, the celebrated Myerson-Satterthwaite impossibility theorem states that no Bayesian incentive-compatible, individually rational, and budget-balanced mechanism can achieve full efficiency. As a counterpoint, Deng, Mao, Sivan, and Wang (STOC 2022) show that if pricing power is delegated to the right person (either the seller or the buyer), the resulting mechanism can guarantee at least a constant fraction of the ideal (yet unattainable) gains from trade. In practice, the agent with pricing power may not have perfect knowledge of the value distribution of the other party, and instead may rely on samples of that distribution to set a price. We show that for a broad class of sampling and pricing behaviors, the resulting market still guarantees a constant fraction of the ideal gains from trade in expectation. Our analysis hinges on the insight that social welfare under sample-based pricing approximates the seller's optimal revenue -- a result we establish via a reduction to a random walk.

Xinming Du, Lei Li, Eric Zou

This paper shows a cascading mechanism through which international trade-induced deforestation results in a decline of health outcomes in cities distant from where trade activities occur. We examine Brazil, which has ramped up agricultural export over the last two decades to meet rising global demand. Using a shift-share research design, we first show that export shocks cause substantial local agricultural expansion and a virtual one-for-one decline in forest cover. We then construct a dynamic area-of-effect model that predicts where atmospheric changes should be felt - due to loss of forests that would otherwise serve to filter out and absorb air pollutants as they travel - downwind of the deforestation areas. Leveraging quasi-random variation in these atmospheric connections, we establish a causal link between deforestation upstream and subsequent rises in air pollution and premature deaths downstream, with the mortality effects predominantly driven by cardiovascular and respiratory causes. Our estimates reveal a large telecoupled health externality of trade deforestation: over 700,000 premature deaths in Brazil over the past two decades. This equates to $0.18 loss in statistical life value per $1 agricultural exports over the study period.

S M Toufiqul Huq Sowrov

International trade has been in the forefront of economic development and growth debates. Trade openness, its definition, scope, and impacts have also been studied numerously. Tariff has been dubbed as negative influencer of economic growth as per conventional wisdom and most empirical studies. This paper empirically examines relationships among trade openness as trade share to GDP, import tariff rate and economic growth. Panel dataset of 11 G-20 member countries were selected for the study. Results found a positively significant correlation between trade openness and economic growth. Tariff has negatively significant correlation with economic growth in lagged model. OLS and panel data fixed-effects regression were employed to carry out the regression analysis. To deal with endogeneity in trade openness variable, a 1-year lag regression technique was conducted. Results are robust and significant. Policy recommendation suggests country specific trade opening and tariff relaxation.

Audréanne Loiselle, Raphaël Proulx, Marie Larocque et al.

Wetlands are the world’s most important providers of ecosystem functions and services (EFS) and the most threatened ecosystems. Systematic conservation planning strategies are urgently needed to identify efficient strategies that optimize EFS provisioning in wetlands. Evaluating synergies and trade-offs among EFS indicators provides an ideal framework, as they highlight the challenges faced by conservationists. However, associations between indicators often vary across region, scale, and ecosystem type. In this study, we compared the provisioning of eight EFS of three types of wetlands to evaluate the influence of indicator choice and aggregation on synergies and trade–offs. We quantified 25 EFS indicators in 37 lake-edge wetlands consisting of 12 peatlands, 8 alder swamps, and 17 ash swamps. We analyzed the synergies and trade-offs among wetland types and among EFS indicators, as well as the general EFS provisioning patterns of each type using cosine similarities and multivariate analysis. We showed that wetland type strongly influences the strength and direction of associations, with peatlands and ash swamps showing opposing patterns. While some EFS categories are less sensitive to indicator choice and aggregation, others, such as biodiversity, show important trade-offs. Our results revealed that synergies and trade-offs are strongly influenced by indicator choice and that protecting a diversity of wetland types is necessary to support multiple EFS categories.

Tarık Çakar, Seda Erbayrak, Mehmet Ali Barışkan et al.

This study aims to measure work stress in ISTANBUL's working life and determine its causes for finding answers to 5 different questions; (1) What are the facts of work stress in Istanbul, (2) What legal framework and infrastructure exist for psychosocial risk assessment and protection from stress?, (3) What are the views and evaluations of employers and trade associations regarding work stress?, (4) Which instruments are used to measure and evaluate work stress and psychosocial risks?, (5)What preventive measures do businesses take to reduce work stress? The study was carried out in different workplaces and selected 3-4 people. A questionnaire prepared for a maximum of 132 people will be applied; taking into account the realities of our own country, the role that the state can play in this regard will be determined. What kind of work can be done to develop stress protection programs will be revealed. Recommendations will be made to establish stress management centers in certain regions.

Ekaterina S. Dashkova, Natalia V. Dorokhova

Turbulent socioeconomic environment significantly affects the state and dynamics of the regional labour market. The paper develops and tests a methodological toolkit for assessing the state of a regional labour market allowing for the main socioeconomic trends – digitalisation and innovative development of the economy. Labour economics constitutes the methodological basis of the research. Methods of economic statistical and content analysis were used. The evidence is the 2021 data of the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation concerning the labour markets of the Central Black Earth economic region of Russia, which comprises Belgorod, Voronezh, Kursk, Lipetsk and Tambov oblasts. The suggested method for investigating the state of the regional labour market takes into account the impact of digitalisation and innovative development processes on the latter. Testing the method at the case of the Central Black Earth economic region revealed that the regions’ labour markets appreciably lag behind other subjects of the Russian Federation in terms of wages and encounter labour shortages against rather low rates of digital transformation and innovative development in their economies. The paper formulates recommendations for all parties of the social partnership, which suggest boosting the investment attractiveness of regions; creating high-productive jobs; spurring the activities of trade unions and associations; retaining the youth in the regions; increasing the efficiency of career guidance; attracting labour migrants, first and foremost, from other Russian regions due to improvements in economic, social and household infrastructure; promoting competencies of citizens of pre-retirement age and retired citizens; creating conditions for acceleration of digital transformation as well as expanding regions’ innovation activities.

Jian-An Li, Li Wang, Wen-Jie Xie et al.

Pesticides are important agricultural inputs to increase agricultural productivity and improve food security. The availability of pesticides is partially achieved through international trade. However, economies involved in the international trade of pesticides are impacted by internal and external shocks from time to time, which influence the redistribution efficiency of pesticides all over the world. In this work, we adopt simulations to quantify the efficiency and robustness of the international pesticide trade networks under shocks to economies. Shocks are simulated based on nine node metrics, and three strategies are utilized based on descending, random, and ascending node removal. It is found that the efficiency and robustness of the international trade networks of pesticides increased for all the node metrics except the clustering coefficient. Moreover, the international pesticide trade networks are more fragile when import-oriented economies are affected by shocks.

Chuheng Zhang, Yitong Duan, Xiaoyu Chen et al.

Optimized trade execution is to sell (or buy) a given amount of assets in a given time with the lowest possible trading cost. Recently, reinforcement learning (RL) has been applied to optimized trade execution to learn smarter policies from market data. However, we find that many existing RL methods exhibit considerable overfitting which prevents them from real deployment. In this paper, we provide an extensive study on the overfitting problem in optimized trade execution. First, we model the optimized trade execution as offline RL with dynamic context (ORDC), where the context represents market variables that cannot be influenced by the trading policy and are collected in an offline manner. Under this framework, we derive the generalization bound and find that the overfitting issue is caused by large context space and limited context samples in the offline setting. Accordingly, we propose to learn compact representations for context to address the overfitting problem, either by leveraging prior knowledge or in an end-to-end manner. To evaluate our algorithms, we also implement a carefully designed simulator based on historical limit order book (LOB) data to provide a high-fidelity benchmark for different algorithms. Our experiments on the high-fidelity simulator demonstrate that our algorithms can effectively alleviate overfitting and achieve better performance.

Michał Matuszak

Trade unions play an important role in organizing activities in the field of labour law, although some representatives of the doctrine believe that the ruling powers of trade unions are in fact administrative in nature. The role of trade unions is important in all sectors of the economy, including sports. In many European countries, trade unions in sport play a key role in ensuring that players’ right are respected. The potential of trade unions in Poland is still not fully used. The aim of this article is to analyse the role of trade unions in sport by determining their features and perspectives, in particular taking into account the extension of the subjective scope of the coalition right after the amendment to the Trade Unions Act. The deliberations will lead to an answer to the question: Is it finally time for trade unions in the professional sport sector or is it still a distant perspective? The article uses the dogmatic and legal method, and also indicates foreign solutions in relation to the comparative method. The considerations present legal solutions in the USA, England and the Netherlands. The deliberations concern both labor law and sports law. The main conclusion from the conducted research is that there are formal and legal possibilities for trade unions to play a more important role in the medium and long term, however, there is no specific entity or group of entities that would be really interested in their development, both among the athletes themselves as well as in sports clubs and Polish sports associations or the Ministry of Sport.

Jian-An Li, Li Wang, Wen-Jie Xie et al.

The statistical properties including community structure of the international trade networks of all commodities as a whole have been studied extensively. However, the international trade networks of individual commodities often behave differently. Due to the importance of pesticides in agricultural production and food security, we investigate the evolving community structure in the international pesticide trade networks (iPTNs) of five categories from 2007 to 2018. We unveil the community structures in the undirected and directed iPTNs exhibits regional patterns. However, the regional patterns are very different for undirected and directed networks and for different categories of pesticide. Moreover, the community structure is stabler in the directed iPTNs than in the undirected iPTNs. We also extract the intrinsic community blocks for the directed international trade networks of each pesticide category. It is found that the largest intrinsic community block is the stablest that appears in every pesticide category and contains important economies (Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands, and Portugal) in Europe. Other important and stable intrinsic community blocks are Canada and the United States in North America, Argentina and Brazil in South America, and Australia and New Zealand in Oceania. These findings imply the importance of geographic distance and the complementarity of important adjacent economies in the international trade of pesticides.